MTN STRONG is for the mountain athlete who wants to crush all year round.
This is a year-round training program designed to prepare you for your mountain pursuits. When you're stronger and more fit for your outdoor sport, you can spend more time having fun, working on technique, and finding that flow state.
We have distinct phases that allow us to build and focus on specific athletic qualities. We also have distinct "maintenance" phases where we're trying to maintain specific athletic qualities while "in season." The MNT STRONG programming focuses on the athletic demands of skiing and mountain climbing (alpine approaches, trail running, hiking, alpine scrambling and climbing). This program does not take the place of technique work for skiing or climbing. However, it can be layered on top of sport specific technique training.
A
MAF Method (Maximum Aerobic Function)
1 x 30:00 @ 6
B
Aerobic Threshold, Outdoor
C
Aerobic Threshold, Indoor
D
Aerobic Threshold, Heart Rate Drift, Indoor
E
Aerobic Threshold, Heart Rate Drift, Outside
F
Nasal breathing/Conversational Pace Running
1 x 30:00 @ 6
G1
Elevated Pigeon
1 x 2:00
G2
Quad Stretch
1 x 2:00
G3
Standing Hamstring Stretch
1 x 2:00
G4
Standing Calf Stretch
1 x 2:00
G5
Box Breathing
1 x 5:00
Warmup
A
Warmups are intended to slowly warm your body up so that you're ready for training. Use this time to wake up your body, check-in with how you're feeling, physically and mentally, and prepare for the training session. Never rush through the warmup. If you're short on time, you're better off removing a movement or round than speeding through it as fast as possible. The warmup sets the tone for your training session, use it to your advantage! Spend ~5-10 min performing your choice of easy aerobic conditioning to elevate your heart rate (HR) (e.g. calisthenics, row, jog, airdyne, etc.), then perform 2-3 rounds: 10 Air squats @ 3010 (add a mini band above the knees if you have them) 10 Alternating lunges, total 2x Four square drill (may jump onto something to increase the difficulty) 5 Yoga push-ups with toe touches 3 Spiderman lunges with t-spine rotation (click the Tips button for videos and exercise explanations)
B1
90/90 Transitions
4 x 4
B2
Barbell Reverse Lunges
4 x 8
B3
Quadruped Thoracic Rotation
4 x 4
B4
Standing Arnold Press
4 x 8
Work Capacity #1
C
5 x 1 Mini Leg Blaster Complex, rest 30 sec - 1 min 1 mini leg blaster = 10x Air Squats 5x Lunges each leg, alternating 5x Jumping Lunges each leg, alternating 5x Jump Squats Rest 30 sec - 1 min Perform as quickly as possible, one exercise immediately after the other! Rest at the end of each set. Feel the BURN! We'll integrate these throughout the program in various complexes. If you've done these before, today is just a reminder on how to perform them. If you've never done these before, welcome to the burn! After you complete 5 sets, rest 2-5 min and then perform the Work Capacity #2
Work Capacity #2
D
For 10 min, perform the following movements at the top of each minute. This is referred to as an Every Minute on the Minute (EMOM) workout. Once you're done with performing the movements, rest the remainder of the minute. Your goal is to get roughly 30-40 sec of work and 20-30 sec of rest. Adjust the reps as needed by adding or subtracting a rep to/from each movement to get the desired work to rest ratio. 10 min EMOM of: * 10 Skaters, total - reach lower toward the ground to make these more difficult * 10 KB swings or 5 burpees or 7 squat thrusts Note: squat thrusts are a great option if you don't have stellar push-ups while under fatigue. They're just a burpee w/o the push-up. Choose the movement that makes the most sense for you.
E1
Bench Hamstring Curl
3 x 10
E2
Serratus Crunch
3 x 10
F
Power Athlete Cooldown Progression 2
Warmup
A
2-3x: 10 McGill curl-up (switch legs after 5 reps) 15-sec side plank per side 10 Bird Dog 6 Leg Cradle Lunge Twist w/ Drunk Step (3 per side) 6 High Knee Squat w/ Swinging Gate Note: the McGill curl-up is a VERY small movement. Don't try to make it bigger than it is! The first three core movements are activation drills.
Conditioning Circuit
B
Perform the following conditioning circuit for 4 rounds or 25 min, all while nasal breathing! No rest between rounds. This should be a sustainable pace for the entire time. 300m run 6 Sandbag get-ups (3 per side)* 5 Push-ups to down dog (video is yoga push-up) - each rep is 1 push-up + 1 down dog 16 Weighted (DB) walking lunges (8 per side) If you don't have a sandbag, either swap out for a regular Turkish Get-Up or load up a back backpack or duffel bag Perfect push-ups every rep! If your push-ups suck, lower yourself under control in a plank position and then drop to your knees for the concentric portion of the movement.
C1
Pallof Press
3 x 10
C2
Captain Morgans
3 x 6
C3
RKC Plank
3 x 0:20
D1
Elevated Pigeon
1 x 2:00
D2
Quad Stretch
1 x 2:00
D3
Standing Hamstring Stretch
1 x 2:00
D4
Standing Calf Stretch
1 x 2:00
D5
Box Breathing
1 x 5:00
Warmup
A
Never rush through the warmup, you're better off executing every movement with intent and purpose and removing a movement than speeding through the WU as fast as possible. This sets the tone for your training session, use it to your advantage! Spend ~5-10 min performing your choice of easy aerobic conditioning to elevate your heart rate (HR) (e.g. calisthenics, row, jog, airdyne, etc.), then perform 2-3 rounds: 30-sec Low box lateral shuffle (a cinder block works great for this!) 3 Standing swimmers 3 Squat thoracic rotations per side 10 Band pull-aparts
B1
Front Foot Elevated Split Squat
4 x 8
B2
Y+L Raise
4 x 5
B3
Inverted Row
4 x 10
B4
Hip CARS
4 x 2
Work Capacity
C
10x 20 Lateral Skiers (10 per side) 10-sec Isometric squat hold @ hardest height possible (ski tuck!) Rest 30 sec - 1 min Complete 1 round, rest 30-sec - 1 min. If you can handle hitting another round after 30-sec, do it! Challenge yourself and embrace the leg burn!
D1
Ironman Hold
3 x 0:30
D2
Single Arm DB Sit-up
3 x 5
D3
Copenhagens
3 x 0:20
D4
Plate Rotation
3 x 20
E
Power Athlete Cooldown Progression 1
A1
Thread the Needle, Foam Roller
3 x 4
A2
T-hip Mobility
3 x 5
A3
The Blackburn Series
3 x 0:10
A4
90/90 Heel Clicks
3 x 5
A5
Spine CARs
3 x 4
A6
Ankle CARs
3 x 5
Warmup
A
2-3x: 5 High knee with thoracic rotations per side 6 total Leg cradle lunge with lateral flexion & extension 5 Waiters bow 6 total Forward lunge to high knee (knee up, toe up!)
B
Run
1 x 40:00
C1
Elevated Pigeon
1 x 2:00
C2
Quad Stretch
1 x 2:00
C3
Standing Hamstring Stretch
1 x 2:00
C4
Standing Calf Stretch
1 x 2:00
C5
Box Breathing
1 x 5:00
Over 10 years of experience training people in strength and conditioning principles. Works with a variety of people with diverse athletic, sport, and training backgrounds to help them accomplish their long-term goals. Specializing in working with "mountain athletes," specifically alpine climbers, mountaineers, trail runners, and skiers.
MTN STRONG is for anyone who wants to be stronger in their outdoor pursuits. Join the team because we're stronger together.
Start My 7-Day Free TrialWhen you join a team you’re getting more than programming, you’re joining an online community.